A look at the changes since World Series win just three years ago

Only three men remain in the starting lineup from the championship team, catcher and captain Jason Varitek, designated hitter David Ortiz and left fielder Manny Ramirez.

Win Bates

It was only three years ago that the Red Sox won their first world championship in 86 years, but the team that will try to repeat that feat over the next few weeks has changed dramatically.

Only three men remain in the starting lineup from the championship team, catcher and captain Jason Varitek, designated hitter David Ortiz and left fielder Manny Ramirez.

The only three pitchers still here are the older-than-40 trio of starters Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and reliever Mike Timlin.

Everyone else came on board sometime between the end of the 2004 season and the present. Here’s a look at the team from 2004 against the team from 2007.

Catcher 2004 - Jason Varitek. 2007 - Varitek. One position that has stayed the same, even with the backup, Doug Mirabelli. Varitek isn’t the hitter he was back then, but he’s still rock-steady behind the plate and the brains behind the pitching staff.

First Base 2004 - Kevin Millar. 2007 - Kevin Youkilis. Millar was one of the “idiots”, who kept the team loose in 2004, and also provided some clutch hitting during his stint here.

He’s now with the Baltimore Orioles, and Youkilis, a backup player on the 2004 team who has since moved into a starting role, has slumped late in what had been a great year for him.

Youkilis hasn’t made an error in more than a year and is far superior defensively to Millar and pretty much his equal at the plate.

Second Base 2004 - Mark Bellhorn. 2007 - Dustin Pedroia. Bellhorn had a career-high in RBI with 82 in 2004 and had a game-winning home run in the first game of the World Series. He also set a club record with 177 strikeouts.

He is no longer in baseball after being released by the San Diego Padres.

Pedroia is a leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year Award, hitting in the high .320s and playing a steady second base.

Shortstop 2004 - Orlando Cabrera. 2007 - Julio Lugo. Cabrera was dealt to Boston at the trading deadline, the same time Nomar Garciaparra was being traded to the Chicago Cubs, and he played a major role in the championship run.

The Sox did not re-sign Cabrera after the season, and he ended up with the Los Angeles Angels and could be a playoff opponent.

Lugo struggled big-time at the plate the first half of this season, but has had a good second half and has actually been better defensively than anticipated.

Third Base 2004 - Bill Mueller. 2007 - Mike Lowell. Mueller hit .429 in the 2004 World Series and was a steady player during his time here. His career ended last year with the Dodgers due to recurring knee trouble.

Lowell was a throw-in in the trade that brought Josh Beckett here last season and has been an offensive standout all season. The Sox now must decide whether to re-sign him since he is a free agent after this season.

Left Field 2004 - Manny Ramirez. 2007 - Ramirez. Every year, there is trade talk involving Mercurial Manny, but he’s still here, Manny just being Manny. He was a postseason star in 2004, and the Sox hope his injury won’t keep him from a repeat performance.

Center Field 2004 - Johnny Damon. 2007 - Coco Crisp. Damon was another of the “idiots” who kept the 2004 Sox loose and had a lot of big hits for that team, especially in the postseason.

He left after the 2005 season to sign with the Yankees as a free agent.

Crisp was dealt here by the Cleveland Indians to replace him and is a slightly superior defensive player (neither throws well), but isn’t close to the hitter Damon is.

Right Field 2004 - Trot Nixon. 2007 - J.D. Drew. Their styles are very different, but with his injuries, Nixon wasn’t all that productive his last three years in Boston and only played 48 games during the regular season in 2004 before playing 13 of the 14 postseason games and hitting .357 in the World Series.

Drew has been a huge disappointment after signing a five-year, $70 million free-agent contract.

Designated Hitter 2004 - David Ortiz. 2007 - Ortiz. He was the team’s most popular player back then, and nothing has changed. His numbers were down for a while this year, but they’re picking up at just the right time as the clutch hits are starting to come again.

Starting Pitchers 2004 - Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe. 2007 - Schilling, Wakefield, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Lowe won the clinching game of each postseason series that year and Martinez finished his Red Sox career with a spectacular effort in the third game of the World Series. They’re now with the Dodgers and Mets, respectively.

Beckett is among the favorites for the American League Cy Young Award, and Matsuzaka seems to have hit a wall late in his first season in the big leagues.

Relief Pitchers 2004 - Keith Foulke, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Curtis Leskanic, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Myers. 2007 - Timlin, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Eric Gagne, Kyle Snyder, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez. Foulke wasn’t the power closer Papelbon is, but was very effective that postseason, as was Timlin. Okajima has struggled late in this season, perhaps hitting the same wall as fellow countryman Matsuzaka. And can Gagne be relied on in any meaningful situation, assuming he is even on the postseason roster?

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